This article is from page 1 of the 2007-09-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 1 JPG
DAIL deputies and ministers in Clare are following the party line and re- fusing to be drawn on how they will vote in a Dail confrontation on the S)eTNev ee MOM ISIE
The Labour Party has announced that it is to table a Dail motion call- ing on the Government to join forces with other shareholders to reverse the Aer Lingus decision to move the Shannon-Heathrow slots.
The TDs’ responses to news of the
Labour motion came as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern insisted that the Gov- ernment would do nothing to under- mine Aer Lingus moving its slots from Shannon. Mr Ahern said the fo- cus was now on getting another car- rier and denied there was a Cabinet split on the issue. He said the Gov- ernment had no prior warning of the Aer Lingus move.
Mr Ahern’s remarks followed on from Transport Minister Noel Dempsey’s dismissal of the Ryanair proposal to call an EGM as “‘a side-
show.”
Asked yesterday how he intended to vote on the Labour motion, Dep- uty Timmy Dooley (FF) said, “I haven’t seen the Labour motion yet and I haven’t seen the Government amendment. Until I see that, I cannot comment.”
Junior Enterprise Minister Tony Killeen also said he had not seen the motion or the proposed amendment.
Describing Labour’s move as “po- litical opportunism”, the minister said that the motion would have no
impact.
‘Private members’ motions have no effect unless they are part of a cam- paign to move things on,” he said.
Asked if an EGM should be called, the Corofin TD said, ““There is no point in having an EGM if there is no positive outcome for Shannon.”
The Minister for Defence, Willie O’Dea, was clear about what line of action he would take.
‘“There’s no point in voting in favour of something that will not change the situation,” he said.